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The recent and ongoing low birthrate throughout Taiwan has caused the gradual reduction of students, resulting in the reduction of class sizes and the closure of many remote village schools. The reduction of class size will limit the interaction of students with their peers and will require teachers to amend teaching methods. To ameliorate the impacts of Taiwan’s low birthrate and its effects on the education system, local governments in Taiwan have adopted a policy of merging small schools. However, although this can address issues surrounding student education, it has negative secondary impacts. Schools in smaller and remote villages are more than places of education for children, they are important also for the cultural heritage of a community, are venues for knowledge transmission within the community, and act as local spiritual symbols. When a school that has long played these roles is closed, it may lead to the out-migration of the community members, which will have negative implications for the community, such as the social cohesion of the residents and the development of the community. In the past 20 to 30 years, the Hualien County government has implemented several small school mergers and acquisitions. Currently, due to the low birthrate and decrease in school-aged children, the proportion of small-scale schools in Hualien County is increasing year by year. Given this, Hualien County is expected to face numerous school mergers and closures in the coming years. Therefore, It is of great importance to explore the impact of the policy of the merger and closure of remote primary schools on community governance and development. This research evaluates the policy of closing and merging schools and community governance and development in remote primary schools in Hualien County from the aspects of government policies, the use of educational resources, and economic cost evaluation. Schools that have previously been involved in merger and closure will be used as comparative examples to explore the impact of this policy on their respective communities and will analyze possible coping strategies for community governance and development.
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